Ronnie Cooper

In May of 2020, represented by the Great North Innocence Project and pro bono lawyers from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Ronnie Cooper was released from prison 20 years early, after serving 10 years for a crime he did not commit.

Indicted and Tried as a Group

In 2010, Ronnie Cooper lived in Utica, New York, with his wife and children and worked at a local gas station. On July 10, 2010, Ronnie was indicted in federal court with participating in a drug conspiracy ring based in Tennessee. Specifically, he was charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, crack, and marijuana, and conspiracy to commit money laundering and intimidate a witness. Seven other co-defendants, including Ronnie’s brother-in-law, who was charged as the leader of the drug conspiracy ring, faced similar charges. Ronnie pleaded not guilty.  

In December 2010, all seven men were tried together. One of the co-defendants, Jamie Rush, became a cooperating witness for the prosecution and described how the drug ring operated.  Rush shared extensive details about Ronnie’s codefendants, yet said nothing about Ronnie being involved in the drug ring.

The government’s case against Ronnie was thin. However, two jailhouse informants testified against Ronnie, alleging that Ronnie told them incriminating information after he was arrested.  One said Ronnie’s role in the drug ring was to purchase cocaine in New York for resale in Tennessee. The second informant testified he witnessed Ronnie sell cocaine in Utica.  

After the ten-day trial, the jury found all seven men guilty.  

Ronnie fired his lawyer and immediately filed motions for a new trial and for an acquittal, but both were denied.  Ronnie was sentenced to 30 years in prison and the court entered an order of forfeiture against him for $7 million.

“When I first heard of the charge, I thought it was fake … Just a mix-up … I didn’t have money for a paid lawyer who could guarantee my freedom … all I had was the truth.”

— Ronnie Cooper

Cracks in the Case

Ronnie continued to file appeals on his own, which were denied. In 2015, lawyers at the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP law firm in New York took on Ronnie’s case pro bono, believing in his actual innocence. One of those lawyers, Andrew Markquart, would join the Great North Innocence Project as a staff attorney in 2019 and bring the case to GNIP. 

In October 2015, Ronnie’s lawyers hired an investigator who found Jamie Rush, the co-defendant who became the star witness for the prosecution. Rush told Ronnie’s lawyers that, before the trial, he informed law enforcement that Ronnie was not involved in the drug operation “at all.” This information was never disclosed to Ronnie’s trial attorney.  

Rush went on to say that Ronnie had gotten a “raw deal.”  He explained that Ronnie’s only connection to the crime was that he was married to the drug ring leader’s sister, and said it was unfortunate he had been lumped in with the members of the drug conspiracy.

One month later, Ronnie’s attorneys filed a motion to vacate his sentence based on the government’s failure to disclose this exculpatory evidence. 

In 2019, the court found that Rush’s testimony supported Ronnie’s claim and ordered extensive discovery in advance of a final evidentiary hearing. 

Simultaneously, due to the continued efforts of Ronnie’s attorneys, the two jailhouse informants who had testified against Ronnie recanted their testimony. They acknowledged that they lied about Ronnie in hopes of getting leniency from the government in their own criminal cases. 

Released twenty years early

In May of 2020, faced with a crumbling case, the government agreed to have Ronnie resentenced to time served. Ronnie left prison and joyfully reunited with family in Utica, New York, about 20 years before his sentence would have ended.

“I still remember when you told me that you and your firm were going to put together a team of lawyers to work this case and you kept your promise, it brings tears to my eyes when I think about how blessed I am to have your support because nobody has ever fought this hard for me ever, and I appreciate that.”

— Ronnie Cooper, in a letter to his GNIP attorney Andrew Markquart

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